Best Friends Till Love Came Along
by Starksarrowgirl
Summary: Heath, Zoey, and Stark have been best friends for their entire life. But what happens when two of them fall in love with each other, two of them are changed forever, and one of them dies to protect the others?
1. Something's Different

Zoey P.O.V.

I picked up Stark from his house on my way to school. "Hey," he said as he jumped in my blue bug.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Same old crap as normal." We started driving off to school where Heath was waiting.

"Your dad wasn't too bad?"

"I should be asking you that about your stepmonster."

I shrugged and avoided eyes contact. "Normal." I slammed my brake as the light changed from yellow to red in a split second.

He tried to look at my eyes, but I turned away. "Z, what happened?"

"The normal stuff, nothing out of the ordinary."

"If it was normal then you wouldn't be acting like this." I tried to stay within the speed limit as Stark kept pestering me about it. I finally just said, "Nothing happened, I'm perfectly fine! Now leave me alone!"

"Z, what's that?" He pointed to the scars and bruises on my arm.

I pulled down me sleeve. "I tripped. Getting ice cream."  
"In the middle of winter?" I didn't say anything, just focused on trying to find a parking space. There was one right next to Heath's car. Stark said, "Zoey, if something's going on, tell me or Heath.

I got out, said, "I would if there was something going on," slammed the car door, and walked straight into Heath. "Hi," I said icily as I went to my locker.

Stark P.O.V.

Heath came up and said, "What crawled up her ass?"

"I don't know but something different happened last night. Something she's not telling me and probably not going to tell you."

"I don't know, man. Who can resist this?" He put on the 'smolder.' I laughed and pushed him lightly.

"Every girl in this school." We laughed and saw Zoey at her locker having a coughing fit. Something was definitely different and we were going to find out what before she gets killed.


	2. Marked

Zoey P.O.V.

Why'd Stark have to see every single little thing? Scratch that, why does he have to see right through me? I try my hardest to hide something from him, but he knows something's up. Now he's probably told Heath and both of them are going to annoy the heck out of me trying to figure out what happened.

But I can't tell them.

He swore to me if I told anyone that he would kill them and I believe him. I honestly didn't believe him when he said he was going to do it one of these days, but proved me wrong. Now I know he would do anything.

I coughed again. It hurt deep within my chest. My whole English class looked at me like I was about to pass out right there. Heath, who sat next to me, patted my back. I mouthed 'thanks.' We both turned back to our books and listened to Juliet's heartbroken sobs on the teacher's tape. Then a folded up piece of lined paper was right by my book. I opened it and looked at Heath. He was doing one of the reading check questions and looking _way _too innocent. The note said _Hey Zo. Wats goin on?_

Stark did tell him. Gritting my teeth, I wrote back _i dont no wat ur talkin bout. _I passed it back.

I looked at him in enough time to see him roll his eye at my response. He passed it back. _thats BS Zo and we both no it. wat happend last nite?'_

_4get it Heath. im nt gonna tell u so drop it._

_no._

_yes. _

_no._

_yes._

_no._

_yes._

_no._

_yes._

_no._

_yes._

And that happened the rest of English. I have no idea what happened in Romeo and Juliet, but I do know I'm staying away from Heath and Stark today. Unfortunately, Heath caught up with me after class. "Tell me," he said simply.

"Okay, well, we're supposed to read pages 294 and-"

"Not the homework. What happened last night?"

I pressed my lips shut and walked quickly to my locker. Being the quarterback, he caught up in no time. I put my stuff in the locker without saying a word. When I closed it, Heath put an arm in front of me, blocking my way. "Heath, I'm going to be late for class."

"I don't care. This is more important than class."

I sighed and turned around to go the other way, but then Stark as behind me blocking my way too. Stupid soccer and football player. **(For some reason I imagine Stark as a soccer player when he was human...) **"Tell us," Stark said.

I leaned against my locker and glared at the wall across from me. Heath said, "We're just trying to help you, Zo. Let us know what's going on so we can help."

"Please, Z," said Stark.

I felt both of their eyes pleading me to tell. I said, "Don't you think I _want _you to help so I don't go through this? Do you think I like being abused by my mother's husband? No, I don't! I can't tell you because he'll _kill_ you! Hell, he'll kill you for knowing about the last few years. I can't tell you two because I care about you too much. I don't know what I'd do without you guys." The last sentence came out as a whisper. I ducked under and Heath's arm and ran away as the bell rang.

At the time I thought if I stayed by them, I would've avoided this. But now I realize nothing would've prevented it.

Two Trackers were walking down the hallway and one of them looked right at me. He pointed a finger at me. He said the ceremonial words, I screamed, and fainted.

Stark P.O.V.

I heard Zoey scream and ran in the direction it came from with Heath right on my heels. She was on the floor and a Tracker was walking away. There was another looking straight at me though. She said the ceremonial words and I fainted too.

Heath P.O.V.

What the hell am I going to do? My two best friends just got Marked and they're passed out on the floor. Shit, what if a teacher comes by? I'm going to get blamed for this! But I can't just leave them here for someone to kick or something. Maybe I should stay here just until they wake up. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

A teacher came walking through the doors and I ran to my class.

**Review!**


	3. I have big plans for you

**Hey guys, it's Starksarrowgirl. I changed my penname because I am obsessed with this song from Tangled. So my penname is the name of the song. Anyways, Sorry to keep you all waiting!**

Zoey P.O.V.

I coughed and shook my head, sitting up. I just had the freakiest dream ever. I got Marked and so did Stark and Heath ran off like a baby. I opened my eyes and saw Stark laying on the floor next to me, Marked.

Aw hell!

I crawled over to him and shook his shoulder. "Stark. Stark! Wake up!"

"Leave me alone, Zoey," he mumbled, turning over. I sighed. Then he sat up, looking at me. "Z, are you all right?"

We stood up. "What do you think? We just got Marked." I pointed to my forehead and then to his.

He frowned. "Z, there was nothing that could've stopped it from happening. I mean they would've found us and-"

"I'm ecstatic!" I exclaimed, hugging him tightly and squealing.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He held me arms distance away and looked at me like I was crazy. He said, "Am I missing something here? You're _happy_ about being the most hated species in Tulsa?"

"No," I said like he was missing the obvious. "I'm happy because now I can move out of that hell hole known as my house!"

That took a bit to sink in, but when it did, he picked me up and twirled me around like I was a little kid. We laughed, we hugged . When we pulled away, we were both smiling like idiots at each other. Then his smile faded away. He cleared his throat. "So are you going to tell me what happened now?"

My smile went away and I said, "Killjoy."

"Sorry, but I need to know."

"No you don't." He was about to argue some more, but I interrupted whatever he was going to say. "Let's stop by my house real quick. No one should be home right now so I can get my stuff and head out."

He narrowed his eyes but nodded. I helped him cover his new Mark with his hair and he helped me. Well, I moved my hair and he told me if it was still showing or not. Then we went to my Bug. We were just getting in when Heath came running out. "Yo, Zo!" he called, waving his hand.

"What are you doing? Get back to class," I scolded. He stopped right in front of me.

He said, "I'm coming to your house with you."

"It's fine. I've got Stark with me."

"I'm still going with you."

I arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you doubting Stark's mad skills?" I said loud enough for Stark to hear me clearly.

Heath didn't look amused, and neither did Stark. Heath said, "No. Look, if Stark just goes with you and someone turns out to be home, they're more likely to pull some shit. But if I come, they're less likely to. Plus with the three of us, packing will go like that." He snapped his fingers.

"He's got a point," chimed in Stark.

Ug. I hated when they ganged up on me! "Fine, but you're taking your car so you can come right back to school."

He smiled but still looked upset about the school thing. There was no way he was going to miss school because of me. We headed towards my house. Now, on the outside, it looked like a peaceful house that a loving family would live in. But instead, it was a peaceful looking house with a screwed up family. My mom married this loser from the People of Faith and he singled me out as the bad kid because I actually told the truth. My sister and brother, however, were the good kids because they acted like they liked him. So the parents let them do whatever they wanted basically. My sister's a slut because of it and my brother has a million sick and twisted video games stashed in his room.

We were coming by the street when I saw the "family car" in the driveway. My blood ran cold. Stark cursed under his breath and called Heath. To both of us, he said, "Park close to the house, but out of sight from any windows." I ducked a little as I went passed. Things were about to get interesting. Heath parked first and jumped out. As I got out, both of the boys stood at either side of me and we prepared ourselves to go in the house. I unlocked the door with shaky hands.

Nothing would've prepared us for what happened.

My mother's husband, John Heffer (sadly that is his real last name), was having sex with his secretary on the couch. Now we could have just snuck past them, packed my stuff, and left without them ever knowing, but no. We were teenagers seeing someone we hated butt naked. Not only that, but this is Stark and Heath we're talking about here. They just _had _to say something. I screamed as I took a picture with my phone. Sweet, sweet revenge. Stark took me in his arms and pushed my face in his chest so my eyes were covered. Using the shield, I sent the picture to Mom. Heath was trying to cover his own eyes with his whole arm. "MY EYES! MY PRECIOUS EYES!" cried Heath.

"Dude! Really?" Stark said.

Heath said, "That's just _nasty_! And on the couch too? I mean everyone sits on that thing and you're doing the dirty on it?"

"Very classy," said Stark sarcastically. Then he said to the chick, "You could do so much better." He let me go and I was caught in John's glare.

"What the hell are you three doing here?" sneered John, trying to get dressed quickly. Stark made a gagging noise as John's...uh..._friend _swung and jiggled. I was trying so hard not to puke.

I said, "I came to get my stuff. I'm moving out."

He paused zipping up his pants and then continued. Without a shirt, he paced in the living room. He smirked at me. "I don't recall saying you could leave."

I showed him the outline of the crescent on my forehead. "I've been Marked, so I'm moving out. Unless you want to explain to the vampyres and the human police why there's a newly Marked teenage girl with bruises dead on your floor." I smirked.

The smirked died as he scowled. He growled, "This is a trick isn't it? It's just eyeliner, isn't it?" When no one answered, he came over and attempted to grab my hair and try to rub it off.

Stark and Heath stepped directly in front of me. "Touch her, you die," they threatened. I saw the muscles in their arms flex dangerously.

John stepped back, glaring. Heath said, "Now, we're just going to pack her stuff and leave."

"Try anything and you'll be going to the hospital and trying to explain to the cops why your secretary was on here," finished Stark. I started to my room, with them acting as a wall between me and John. We rushed upstairs and they locked the door. I pulled out my suitcases and started stuffing them with my stuff. The boys helped too, trying to get out of here as quickly as possible. When we finished, Heath jumped out the window and we threw the bags down with him. He started loading them up in his truck as Stark and I headed back downstairs cautiously. The woman was gone, but John was still there with a shirt on thank God, glaring at us.

As we went out the door, I threw my keys at him and Stark flipped him off. We closed the door and went to the cars, turning our backs on the door for ten seconds. Then I heard something connect with Stark's head and he fell to the floor. I whirled around to see John with a frying pan. He grabbed me and shoved me in the house. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth with his hands. I bit down hard and he yelped in pain. "Bitch!" He slapped me hard across the face. It stung, but I didn't care.

"HEATH!" I screamed as loud as I could.

"ZOEY!" I heard him yell back.

"HEEEEEEEELP! HE-" The air rushed out of my lungs as John punched my stomach. I groaned. He picked me up and carried me to his room. Flashbacks of last night ran through my head and I tried to get away, but it was useless. He tossed me on his bed and shut the door.

"Now, you bitch. You're going to pay for sending that picture to your mother." I looked at him shocked at scared. "Oh yes, I know. She called me as you were packing up your shit." He slammed his fist into my foot. I heard something crack and I screamed. He did the same thing to my ankle and my leg. I screamed so loud, Canada could probably hear me. Tears fell on my cheeks from the pain. Then, the pain got too great. I blacked out.

Stark P.O.V.

I felt something cold splash on my face. "Stark wake the hell up! Zoey needs help and John will cream me if I'm alone," I heard Heath say. Wait, Zoey. Zoey! I sat up quickly and saw Heath hard faced and serious.

"Zoey," was all I said before I heard her scream in pain. I jumped up and ran in the house, Heath close behind me. They weren't anywhere downstairs, so we went upstairs. She screamed again and sounded like she was in even more pain. I followed the sound and found the door closed. Not bothering to use the doorknob since he probably locked it, I kicked it as hard as I could. It fell down and we burst in.

Zoey was passed out on a bed and John had a hand on her boob. I saw red. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off of her. I punched him in the jaw and let him go as he fell to the floor. I went to see if Zoey was okay, but he grabbed my ankle, tripping me. Heath ran to help me.

Zoey P.O.V.

I was in a cave. It was really dark, but then a warm light shined. A beautiful woman was sitting across from me. Later when I tried to describe her, I realized I didn't remember what she looked like. She said softly, "Hello, Zoey. I'm Nyx."

I gasped. "The vampyre goddess?"

"Yes. I don't have much time, daughter, but I just wanted to tell you some advice before you go into your new world. Light does not always equate to good as darkness does not always bring bad." **(A/N I don't remember exactly how she said it so pardon me if got it wrong.)**

"Wait, huh?" I said oh so brilliantly.

She just smiled. She rose to her feet and held my face in her hands. "I have great plans for you my dear daughter." She kissed my forehead and I woke up.

The first thing I saw was Heath, passed out on the floor. I rushed to him and checked for a pulse. Good he still has one. Then I saw John strangling Stark. His back was to me and Stark was too busy trying to breathe to notice me. Instinct overtook me. "Let. Him. _GO_!" I yelled. I rose my arm and a huge blast of wind knocked the two apart. John stumbled and fell out the window. I crawled to Stark. He was coughing and gulping in huge gulps of air. I held his face and moved his hair out of his face. He looked at me.

"You're okay," he croaked and then coughed.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Come on. We need to get Heath and you out of here before he somehow comes back." I tried to stand with Stark but the leg John slammed into exploded in pain. I started to fall back down, but Stark caught me. He carried me bridal style to my car and put me in the passenger seat. Then he came back with a now awake Heath and we drove off. The cops pulled up as we left the neighborhood. Luckily, Stark's dad wasn't home. I fell asleep as he got his stuff and we drove to the House of Night.


	4. You think we're married?

**Holy shizz! 38 reviews already! You guys are amazing!**

**So the musical I'm in for school opens in two weeks and starting on Monday, rehersals are going to go until 8:30 p.m. I'm going to be dead when I come home, so updating is going to pretty much stop until the show is over with. Sorry, but I promise I'll update again as soon as I can. So enjoy what I give you now!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Though I am planning on kidnapping Stark someday...mwahahahahahahahahaha.**

Stark P.O.V.

Heath and I were loading my stuff into his truck as Zoey slept. Something seemed different about her, but I couldn't put my finger on it. **(Boys aren't that observant some times.) **Heath said, "We need to take her to the hospital."

I snorted. "Yeah because a _human _hospital is going to help a vampyre," I said sarcastically. "We need to get her to the House of Night and someone there will help her."

"But the hospital is like _right there. _She needs to be seen sooner rather than later."

"Dude, she's not a delicate flower, so don't treat her like one." He looked upset still. I leaned against his truck with one arm up on the side of it. "What's up, Heath? I know you're not this stupid. You of all people should know how she feels about being babied."

He hopped down from the bed of the truck and frowned at me. "And what if I am that stupid, huh?" I rolled my eyes. He sighed. "I'm just...really worried for her because I-" He cut off, unsure.

Almost scared, I asked, "You what?"

He looked at the floor. "I think I'm in love with her."

My heart dropped as did my jaw. He did not just say that. This will ruin our friendship with not only each other but with Zoey. "Oh." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "Well, uh, we should probably go."

"Okay, but don't tell her!" he pleaded. Yeah, like I would tell the girl of my dreams that someone else loved her. As I drove, I thought. How did Heath fall in love with her? She's not his type at all and yes, I do know what his type is. Zoey's my type. I've been in love with her since we first met. I looked over at her sleeping form. She was whimpering. I put a hand on her cheek and she relaxed.

Then she breathed, "Stark," and smiled. I laughed internally. Haha, she's dreaming about me not Heath! Then she murmured, "Heath," and looked confused. Dammit. Then she said, "Sure I'll have another pickle." What? I tried to hold in my laughter but a small chuckle tumbled out. Watching her sleep was one of the funniest things ever. Whenever she would sleep over, I would stay up for hours just watching and listening to her sleep.

She was still passed out when we got to the House of Night, A vampyre with long, dark auburn hair and moss green eyes in a tight dress came out. Wow, she was dressed like a slut. That dress hugged every curve on her body and her boobs were almost spilling out. She saw my Mark as I got out of the car. "Welcome to the House of Night!" She grabbed my forearm. "I'm High Priestess Neferet, but you may call me Neferet."

"James Stark. This is my friend Heath," I pointed to him as he jogged over. He was practically drooling over the lady.

"He's human," she stated.

"We needed help moving our stuff." Then I pointed to Zoey. "She's been badly hurt. We think her leg's broken."

It was like someone flipped a switch on Neferet. She went over to Zoey's side and opened the door. She brushed her hair aside and gasped when she saw her Mark. It was completely filled in. "I was not expecting a new vampyre here."

"We just got Marked today," I said, equally confused.

Her eyebrows pushed together. "Heath, I am afraid you cannot come into the House but I will send someone to help unload all their stuff. James, please bring her and follow me."

I took Zoey out carefully and followed the lady into our new home. Another vampyre, this time a male, saw us and rushed over. He put his fist over his heart and bowed respectfully to Neferet. "Are these the new fledglings?"

"Yes. James Stark, this is Dragon our fencing instructor. He will be your mentor."

The guy, Dragon, went to take my arm like Neferet had done earlier but stopped once he saw me carrying Zoey bridal style. "What's wrong with her?" His words, if asked by anyone else would have set me off big time. But he said them in a such a worried tone, I felt like I could actually like this guy.

"We were just going to find out. Oh, there is a human with a truck outside. He has their stuff. Could you and Anastasia take the stuff up to their dorms? The girl will be staying with Stevie Rae Johnson and James will be in his own room." He nodded and left. We continued our way to hopefully some sort of hospital. Neferet said to me, "We would have you with a roommate but no one is available right now."

"It's okay." Just shut up and help Zoey! When we finally got there, Neferet started helping her. I called Grandma Redbird.

Zoey P.O.V.

I was having the weirdest dream ever. I was getting married to some guy whose image kept changing from Stark to Heath and back. There were a million of cats there, a dog, and a pickle. One cat caught my eye. It was sitting next to the dog and asking me why it took me so long to get here. Then I heard Grandma Redbird's voice singing.

_"Beautiful, see the cloud, the cloud appear._

_Beautiful, see the rain, the rain draw near._

_Who spoke?_

_The little corn ear,_

_High on top of the stalk..."_

Then I felt someone's huge and strong hand holding mine. I knew that hand. Stark. I heard him say, "Z, you awake?"

"No," I groaned. I could practically hear him smile. I wanted to turn over but something heavy was on my leg.

I heard Grandma ask, "Zoeybird! Are you awake, baby?"

I opened my eyes and sat up a little too quickly. Head rush! Stark gently pushed me back down after sensing my discomfort. I looked at Grandma. "What are you doing here?"

"Stark called me and I rushed over. What happened honey and why didn't you tell me earlier you had been Marked?"

I looked around at the room and realized I'm really here. Away from my crazy parents. I said, "I couldn't have told you earlier. Both Stark and I just got Marked today. I went to get my stuff, but John was there with his secretary-"

"Which was highly disgusting!" interrupted Stark. "I can _never _unsee that no matter how hard I try."

Grandma and I smiled. "So he caused a scene which ended up with Stark and Heath getting knocked out once and me with a broken leg." The heavy thing on it was a cast.

"Well, as much as I hate he harmed you at all, I'm glad he didn't do anything worse. But it doesn't make sense."

"I know," I sighed. "I don't know why we got Marked either."

"That's not what I mean, baby. I'm not surprised you were Marked. The Redbird blood has always held strong magic; it was only a matter of time before one of us got Chosen. Stark, I have no idea why he was Chosen."

"Hurtful!" he said, mocking hurt.

"What I mean is it makes no sense that you were just Marked. The crescent is completely filled in."

"That's impossible!"

"Apparently not if yours is," said Stark. Smart alec.

Grandma handed me her antique silver compact mirror. I looked at it. Sure enough, the Mark was now a completed crescent moon. I traced the exotic-looking Mark and could practically feel the Goddess' lips on my forehead. "What does it mean?" I said without taking my eyes off of it.

"We were hoping you would have that answer," said a new voice.

I looked up to see the most perfect woman ever. "Huh?" I am so smart. Not!

"I was hoping you would have some explanation about why a fledgling who hasn't Changed has a complete Mark."

"So, I'm not a vampyre?" I blurted.

She laughed and it sounded like music. "Not yet, but I would say that this is an excellent omen."

"Oh...I...well, good. That's good," I babbled. Stark snorted at me.

Then he said, "Zoey, this is High Priestess Neferet. She's been healing you."

"Welcome to the House of Night, Zoey Stark," she said warmly.

Stark and I looked at each other and blushed. I said, "You don't think we're married do you?' We looked nothing like each other so she can't think we're family.

Her perfectly shaped, amber-tinted eyebrows arched. "You aren't? I assumed with the way you two interacted that you were. We have had fledglings come in here that were married."

"Sorry, we're not. He's my best friend," I said.

Stark said, still blushing, "Neferet just told me that you can choose a new name. I dropped my first name."

"So now you're Stark no-first-name?" We laughed.

Neferet said, "So, Zoey, what would you like your true name to be."

I didn't hesitate. "Zoey Redbird."

"Then from this moment on you shall be Zoey Redbird. Welcome." She grasped my forearm and I yanked my arm away. She looked at me questioningly.

"Sorry, uh, reflex."

She was about to say something, but Stark interrupted. "So," he said. "When can she leave this sterile prison?"

"Right now actually. As I'm sure you know, vampyres, even fledglings, have unusual powers of recovery. Her healing is proceeding at a pace you would find extraordinary."

"Are you sure you don't want keep her in here another day for observation?" asked Grandma.

"Grandma, I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt that bad, plus I got Stark to help me." He helped me stand up and put an arm around my waist to keep me from falling. My arm went around his neck and the other just kind of hung there. I felt a strange feeling wash over me. It was definitely not something you should be feeling about your best friend. "See?" I said trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Then Neferet did something that made me instantly like her and begin to trust her. She said to Grandma, "Sylvia Redbird. I give you my solemn oath that Zoey is safe here. To ensure my oath to you I will be Zoey's mentor." She placed her fist over her heart and bowed formally to Grandma.

After a moment's hesitation, my grandma said, "I will hold you to your oath, Neferet, High Priestess of Nyx." She mimicked Neferet's actions and hugged both me and Stark. "Call me if you need me,_ u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya_."

"I will Grandma."

"And you_, tsi-ta-ga-a-s-ha-ya_," she said as she ruffled Stark's already messy hair. "Stay out of trouble."

"I'm not promising anything," he smirked. I smacked the back of his head.

"I love you both."

"We love you too," we both said. She left as did the wonderful smell of lavender.

Neferet smiled. "Well, are you ready to meet your roommate, Zoey?"

_No._ I swallowed. "Yes."

**Okay, you guys totally gotta check out the acoustic cover for "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain if you haven't all ready. It's so awesome! I love that song but the acoustic cover just makes it ten times better! Review!**


	5. Blowjob freak out

**So I got to thinking, you know how Neferet made that Oath with Grandma Redbird? Well, Neferet can't hurt Zoey because of it, so how is she going to kill Zoey? Or maybe the Oath is void because Neferet really isn't a High Priestess of Nyx anymore? I don't know but I think it's going to play a huge role in the upcoming books.**

Zoey P.O.V.

As we walked (or in my case limped) down a narrow hall that curved gently, I asked, "What time is it?"

"It's nearly 4 a.m. which means classes have been out for almost an hour," said Neferet, smiling at Stark's and mine shocked expressions. She explained classes start at 8 and end at 3 in the morning. A giant orange fur ball jumped into Neferet's arms. I made a _squee _sound and jumped. Stark caught me bridal style and I felt so stupid when I saw it was a cat.

Stark and Neferet laughed. He put me down and said, "Wow, Z. Getting scared of a cat?" He shook his head and tried to scratch the thing's head. It hissed at him and he withdrew his hand.

"This is Skylar," said Neferet.

"He's the biggest cat I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of big cats," said Stark.

I reached my hand out and let the cat sniff it. He rubbed his face against my hand affectionately. "He likes you, which is definitely unusual," she said, cocking her head to the side.

"I like cats. I used to have one, but I had to give it away. My mom's new husband doesn't like cats." My poor, sweet little kitten. I named her Nala because she used to pounce on everything. She was my little lioness.

When Neferet didn't respond, I met her eyes and saw that she understood a lot more about freaky family issues than she was letting on. Then she said, "There are many cats here. They have always been closely allied with vampyres."

Stark said, "We know that. Our history teacher told us that."

"Do you think I could have a cat?" I asked.

"Cats choose us; we don't own them." Skylar jumped out of her arms and disappeared down the hall, sticking up his tail like he owned the place. She sighed. "He is horrible, but I do love him."

We continued to walk down the hallway. I looked up at Stark. "So, how's your head? I know he hit your head pretty hard."

"I'm fine," he said shooting me a look. He hated being fussed over, especially by doctors and nurses.

"You got hit in the head?" asked Neferet, switching to nurse mode. "I need to examine you. Zoey, why don't you sit down over there and I'll take care of Stark." I stifled a giggle as Stark tried to reassure her he was okay. In the middle of her probing his head, Neferet's cell phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello? Yes...mhm...I'll be right there." She hung up. "I'll have to finish later. Why don't you two follow this hallway around to the left until you come to the main door? Right outside is a stone bench. I shouldn't be too long." Before we could say anything, she was gone.

We shrugged and Stark assumed the position again. **(Wow...that sounded dirty...more proof of my dirty mind :] ) **We made our way to where she said. It was kind of spooky, which made me glad to have Stark with me. We held each other's hands tightly and looked around, freaking out. Pretty close to the door, I heard someone call _Zoey... _I stopped and almost tripped Stark. "What's up?" he asked.'

I didn't answer. I just started walking in the direction I heard my name called. Then I heard a soft, girly laugh that made the back of my neck stand up. I peeked down the hall. As I walked around the gentle end with Stark trailing semi-behind me, I saw something that made me stop and move closer to the wall.

**Skipping to where Zoey sees the blood because you all know what happens on that part:**

She drew the nail of her index finger down his thigh, slicing through the jeans and skin. Blood appeared much to my disgust, my mouth started to water.

"No!" he snapped, trying to push her away.

"Oh quit pretending," she laughed again, a mean sarcastic sound. "You know we'll always be together." She licked the line of blood. I shuddered and felt jealous. I wanted to lick his blood. I wanted to be her right now.

Stark P.O.V.

Okay, is it sick that I wanted to be the chick right then? I really wanted to lick that guy's blood. It looked so good and tasty...

Dammit Stark, think about something else! I looked over at Zoey and saw her staring at the guy's thigh with a wanting look in her eyes. Please tell me she just wants the blood and not the other thing that's in that area! She took a step back and the guy saw us. I started to run, keeping my hand holding Z's. She stayed still, which made me stop. The guy said, "No." Zoey shook her head and stepped back.

"Come on, Z!" I pulled at her hand a little.

"No!" He pushed the chick away and started towards us. Zoey shook her head again and let me pick her up and run like hell to where Neferet said to go.

Erik P.O.V.

Erik watched as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen go away in another man's arms. Who was she? She didn't look old enough to be a teacher but she had a filled in Mark. Aphrodite came over and said, "Now we can finish what we started." She grabbed him by the belt loops and pulled him to her, kissing his neck hungrily. He pushed her away and fixed his jeans. He started walking away. She whined, "Erik? Erik, please! I need you!"

"No you don't. You used me! We're through!" He walked away from her cussing. Erik went where the two people had gone and saw the woman resting her head on the fledgling's shoulder. They were talking about something.

The boy, who had brown hair and a few muscles, said, "Don't worry. I don't think the whole school's like that."

"I just wish I had a normal life. No John Heffer, no Mark, no broken leg. Just a normal life." She sighed.

"Well, without all of that, you probably wouldn't have met me and you would've been stuck with Heath."

She smiled slightly. "Hm...a life without Stark...nope, can't imagine it." They grinned at each other. Erik was immediately jealous of their relationship. The boy was able to be so close to her and she was able to trust him without a thought. But there was something there. The way the boy looked at her. It was like she was his dream woman and the boy was afraid if he blinked, she would vanish.

He was in love with her.

The question was, how did she feel about him? Her eyes were guarded and didn't betray anything that might show her feelings. Occasionally, her wall would slip and Erik thought he saw something, but the wall went back up before he could identify it. Neferet came up and as they went in the direction of the girls' dorm, Erik followed them.

**Erik's a creepy stalker! Review!**


	6. She'll be okay, right?

Zoey P.O.V.

The whole trip to the dorms, I felt watched. It was creepy but I pushed the feeling aside and tried to avoid the curious eyes of onlookers. Yay, starting my new life as a freak! Note the sarcasm! I did notice a marble statue of a woman wearing long, flowing robes. "Nyx!" I blurted.

Neferet and Stark looked at me in surprise. She said, "Yes, that is the statue of the Goddess, and the building behind it is her temple."

"How'd you know it was her," Stark asked me.

I was about to answer when I got a gut feeling that clearly said not to tell them the truth. "I...saw a picture somewhere," I tried to say convincingly. Stark rose an eyebrow at me, but didn't push it. Smart kid.

Stark P.O.V.

Why did Zoey lie about knowing that was Nyx? Did she not think Neferet and, more importantly, I were trustworthy or something? While Neferet went on a lecture about the school and blah blah blah, I looked at the people. Everyone who had a solid Mark was extremely good-looking. It was insane. Zoey looked over at them and looked like she wanted to crawl under a bench because they were so gorgeous. Many of them said hello to us three. Some of them did that weirdo bowing thing to Neferet too. The kids weren't as hot as the adults, but they were still a huge blow to your self esteem.

I couldn't help but wonder how Zoey would look once she was officially a vampyre? Don't get me wrong, I think she's already gorgeous. But I still couldn't help but wondering. Right now, she was like any other teen before they "blossomed". Small curves that you couldn't really tell were there, smallish chest, little butt. Would her curves become more defined? Would her butt and boobs get bigger? If all of that happened, I don't think I could keep my hands off of her and my mind out of the gutter.

When we came to the girls' dorm, my nose was assaulted with the smell of a bunch of different perfumes. I hated it when girls wore that much perfume. All of the girls were staring at Zoey's Mark, which I could tell was making her uncomfortable. "Hey, didn't your parents tell you staring's rude?" I said to them. Their gaze switched to me and they started whispering and giggling. Ladies, please, I know I'm hot. No need to make it a secret. I did noticed Zoey moved a little closer to me in an almost possessive way. Hmmm...

Neferet said, "This is Zoey Redbird."

A tiny blonde that looked like Sarah Jessica Parker came over. "Hi!" she said and I didn't like her. She was obviously faking the perkiness. "Welcome to your new home. I'm Aphrodite."

Wow. Who would choose Aphrodite as their name? Zoey plastered a smile on her face and said, "Hi Aphrodite!"

"Would you like me to show her to her room, Neferet?"

Neferet and Aphrodite got in a huge stare down. Z and I shared a look of "what's going on between them?" before Neferet said, "Thank you Aphrodite, that would be lovely. I'm Zoey's mentor, but I'm sure she would feel much more welcomed if someone her own age showed her the way to her room.

Aphrodite laughed, a harsh and forced sound. I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from blurting out the obvious. She was the chick in the hall! I looked at Z and saw her eyes widen. "Of course Neferet. You know I'm always glad to help you."

"then go get a pair of crutches for her. Whoever had them last never returned them to the infirmary." The blonde went to get some. Neferet turned to us. "Stark, I will show you to your room while Zoey meets her roommate and gets ready for dinner." Aphrodite came back with crutches in hand. Zoey took them and I felt cold without her resting on me.

Neferet and I started to leave, but I held back. Zoey looked so scared and nervous to be alone with the most desperate slut of the year. I went back and gave her a tight hug, which she returned. "I'll see you soon," I promised, kissing the top of her head like I always used to when she was having a tough time. She nodded and I left, reluctantly. _Very _reluctantly. "Is she going to be okay with Aphrodite?" I asked Neferet as we went to the other side of the campus.

"Of course. Aphrodite is High Priestess in training, so she will take perfect care of your friend." Her voice and expression weren't very convincing. I forced myself not to run back to the girls' dorm and never leave Zoey's side.

**Quicki question, do you want me to make a facebook page for this story? review!**


	7. AN News!

**Heyness! Sorry this isn't another chappie, but I have good news. I made a facebook page for this story! It's called "Best Friends Til Love Came Along" by Starksarrowgirl. Please check it out and like it. If you want to post any pics or something, you can and yeah. Just keep it clean, that's all I ask.**

**Thanks!**

**-Starksarrowgirl**

**P.S. I changed my name back because I think this name is who I'll always be known by. I could change my name as many times as I wanted to, but I think you guys would still think of me as Starksarrowgirl. :)**


	8. Great Just Great

**Okay, while all the Aphrodikey and Zoey drama is going on and she meets Stevie Rae and blah, we'll see what Stark's up to. Don't worry, I'll switch to Zoey again soon.**

Stark's P.O.V.

I followed Neferet to the other side of the campus, to the boys' dorms. A guy who looked a little familiar though I couldn't tell with his back to us, was hurrying up the steps. Neferet said, "Ah, Erik! Just the man I wanted to see."

He turned and I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything. Again. It was the guy from the hall. Have I mentioned how much mine and Z's luck sucks? He looked at me and I saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone before I could catch what it was. He smiled at Neferet. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to go check on one of the fledglings who broke her arm. Would you mind showing Stark to his room?"

"Of course not." He nodded to me and she smiled.

"Good. Well, Stark, I suppose I will see you later. If you have any questions just either ask one of the fledglings or Dragon, your mentor. He's usually in the fencing room or the spells and rituals room." She smiled again and left me alone with Erik.

He turned to me. "Well, let's go check about that room." He opened the door and I nodded in approval. It was painted a dark blue with white trim and had pictures of men dressed up in various armors and weapons. Some guys were watching Transformers on one TV and arguing about exactly how hot Megan Fox was and on the other TV, some guys were playing Black Ops. Erik lead me to one guy who was reading on the floor in a corner. He cleared his throat and said, "Damien, right?"

The guy looked up, and then looked like he was going to faint. He gulped. "Yes."

"Um, I don't know where Stark is supposed to be. Do you think you could show him the way?"

"Yeah, sure." He stood up and smiled at me. Erik practically ran off. Damien looked after him longingly. Oh jeez. This guy was gay. He said, turning to me, "You'll be right next door to me."

"Sounds, cool, I guess," I said not too warmly but not exactly like how a homophobe would talk to him. I followed him up the stairs and to a purple door. "Purple?" I asked.

"Yeah. They try to keep the doors the same colors as the elements. Mine's yellow." He pointed to the door on my left. I opened my _purple _door and saw all of my stuff had been placed in its spot. All my books were even in alphabetical order. Heath must have told them of my slight OCD problem when it came to my books. Damien invited himself in and handed me some pile of clothes. Uniforms. I groaned mentally until I saw them. They weren't too bad I guess. Damien said, "I could show you to the dining hall if you want."

"Sure."

"Okay. I'll just wait downstairs for you to get your uniform on." He left. I sighed and changed. The sooner I change, the sooner I can find Zoey. I jogged down the stairs and found Damien by the door. The dorm was almost completely cleared. "Wow. Fast," he said.

"I'm just...really hungry," I lied. He rose an eyebrow but said nothing. We went to the dining hall and I was so glad he wasn't one of those slow ass walkers. Most of the time, I actually had to jog to keep up with him. We entered the hall and I scanned the room for Zoey. I didn't see her anywhere. We got food and we sat with a pretty blonde with blue eyes.

She said to Damien, "About time you got here! I've been saving the table for forever!" Then she saw me and smiled flirtily. "Hey. Who's this?"

"Erin, this is Stark. Stark this is Erin Bates."

"Nice to meet you. As much as I love staring at that handsome hunk of meat, I'm hungry for actual food. BRB." She left for the food line.

"She seems...confidant?" I laughed, not sure how to describe what just happened.

Damien snorted. "Yeah, you could say that." He looked at the door as Erin came back with food. "Looks like Stevie Rae's roommate showed up. Wonder what happened to her," he said. I looked over and saw Zoey staring at the middle table with a bunch of un eaten food and a statue on it. A girl with short hair and dressed like a total Okie was with her.

I got up and went over to them. They were getting food when I came up behind Zoey and said, "Boo!"

She jumped and nearly fell over. I caught her around her waist before she could fall. I was shaking with laughter as she stuffed the crutches back under her arms. "Not funny!" she complained.

"Little jumpy, huh?"

"I have a right to be."

The girl next to her said, "Who are you?" She had an accent.

"Stark. Her BFF, like oh my gosh!" I said in the girliest voice I could manage.

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Who are you sitting with?" she asked.

"Oh, this guy Damien and Erin."

"Oh so you met my friends already! Awesome! We'll be one happy little family!" said the girl. She took hers and Zoey's plates. "I'm Stevie Rae by the way. I'm her roommate." We went over to the table and sat down.

Erin said, "I knew it was too good to be true. You're not single!" She pointed to me and Z.

We looked at each other and sighed. How many more people would assume we're going out? Not that I'm complaining, but still. Zoey said, "We're not dating. He's my best friend." She sent a friendly smile my way and I returned it half heartedly. Damien looked at me questioningly. Great. It's that obvious to everyone else that I like Zoey, except her.


	9. Dinner

Zoey P.O.V.

Stark looked strained. I wonder if his head was bothering him. I was going to ask him, but Stevie Rae said, "Zoey, this is Damien Maslin the 'smart one' and Erin Bates the 'pretty one'." They both said hi to me. Stevie Rae said, "Damien is our insight on all things male and we don't have to worry about him makin' a move on us because he's gay."

Really? He didn't look like it. Damien smiled and said, "You would not believe how happy we are that you finally showed up. Stevie Rae's been going on and on about having a roommate, wondering if you'd be one of them." He jerked his chin over to where Aphrodite was.

"Aphrodite?" asked Stark. Sarcastically, he said, "Aw, but she seemed so nice."

"She went all bipolar on me when she showed me to my room," I told them. She needs serious medical help.

Erin said, "Her and her disciples make me want to retch."

"They?" asked Stark.

"The Dark Daughters. They're kind of like a sorority," explained Damien.

"Of hags from hell," said Erin.

"Watch that mouth Er Bear. You gotta eat out of it."

A lovely cappuccino colored girl came over to the table on the arm of a pretty nice looking guy. She laughed as they came up. "Hey guys. You all know Cole," she said pointing to the guy.

"Hey Cole," Damien, Stevie Rae, and Erin said.

"Hey," he said. He gave the girl a kiss before leaving.

Erin yelled at him, "Tell TJ I said hi!"

Somewhere, a guy yelled, "Hi Erin!"

We laughed. The girl sat right next to Erin and looked at Stark and I. "Who are you two?" she asked.

"Stark and Zoey Redbird. Zoey's my roommate and Stark's Damien's neighbor," said Stevie Rae around a bite of spaghetti. "You two, this is Shaunee Cole, Erin's twin."

"They don't look anything alike," commented Stark.

"Duh, soul twins," I told him. He still looked clueless and I just sighed. I guess there's just some things only girls understand.

Shaunee asked, "So Zoey, what's up with you and your Mark?" Everyone was in stunned silence. "What? Do not tell me all of you weren't wondering the same thing."

"We were tryin' to be polite," said Stevie Rae.

"Whatever. So what's up with the Mark?"

All eyes were on me, even Stark's because he didn't know either. I squirmed when the feeling of 'Don't tell them' went through me. "Um, I'm not sure," I said awkwardly. "Maybe I'm just an early bloomer."

She snorted. "There are no early bloomers."

"I really don't know, though. Sorry."

"Damn. I was hoping for something good and gossipy."

"Careful Twin, you're starting to sound like you should be sitting with those bitches." She jerked her head toward the Dark Daughters..

Shaunee's face twisted. "I wouldn't be caught _un_dead with those whores."

I interrupted their banter by asking Damien, "So what exactly is the Dark Daughters? Is it some kind of Goth club or something?"

"Nope. Short version is they're a group of mostly upperclassmen who are in charge of school spirit and such. The leader of the group is being groomed to be High Priestess so she's supposed to be the heart, mind, and spirit of the school."

"No, the short version is they're hags from hell!" said Shaunee.

"That's what I said but nooo! Mr. Prissy Face over here thinks it's a rude name," said Erin.

I looked at Stark as the argued. "Help, Mr. Summary?" I asked.

He said, "National Merit Scholar in charge of the Honor Society mixed with cheerleaders and band geeks."

"And football players!" said Stevie Rae. "They're called Dark Sons."

Shaunee said, while looking at the table by the Dark Daughters, "Mmmm, it is truly a crime that such hot young guys get sucked in-"

"Literally," said Erin, Damien, and Stevie Rae.

"-By those sluts."

Stark and I shared the same look. Clearly the scene we had witnessed wasn't uncommon. Stevie Rae said, "That's what they're supposed to be. The Dark Daughters are really a group of stuck up bitches who get off on bullyin' everyone else. They want everyone to follow them and believe in their crazy and freaky ideas of what it means to be a vamp. Most of all, they hate humans, and if you don't feel the same way all they want is to give you a hard time." Her expression and tone told me she knew that first hand.

I was about to ask her what happened when a sickly sweet voice said, "Hello Zoey."

I clenched my jaw before turning around and plastering on a smile. "Hello, Aphrodite," I said, just as sweet.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said, obviously not caring.

"Nope. We're just talking about some trash that needs to be taken out."

Her eyes flashed. "Yes, well, Zoey, I should have said something to you earlier, but I guess it just slipped my mind. I want to issue you an invitation for you to join the Dark Daughter in our own private Full Moon Ritual tomorrow Night. I've already mentioned it to Neferet and she agrees that it would be good for you to join us and of course you can bring your friend there." She sent a flirty smile to Stark who pretended to throw up in his mouth. She sneered at him then. "I'll give you the details later when you're not so busy with...uh...trash." She flipped her hair and twitched away.

"Hag bitch from hell," said Shaunee and Erin together.

Heath P.O.V.

I was getting really worried about Zoey. And Stark, I guess. Sure he was my friend, but he was totally after my girl, so I wasn't too worried about him. Kayla rubbed her body against mine as we danced at the party. I pushed her away gently. "No, I can't do this," I said, going outside. Of course she followed me. I said, "I still love Zoey."

"Heath, she's gone. She's one of _them_!" she said with disgust.

"I don't care. She's still my Zoey. And I'm going to go see her, to convince her to come live with me."

**That's Heath for you! Not the brightest crayola in the crayon pack. review!**


	10. Now Will You Tell Me?

**Sorry to all Heath haters, but he's gonna stick around for a while. Damn stubborn human.**

**Heath: Hey I'm not stubborn! I just love Zoey!**

**Me: NOBODY ASKED YOU! *shoots with an air soft gun***

**Air soft guns hurt really bad! Anyways, also to those Erik haters (including me) ZoeyXErik is gonna happen too. Mostly cuz I want to see Stark's jealous side.**

**Stark: I don't get jealous easily.**

**Me: Uh, sorry your royal hotness, but you do. I mean look what happened in Tempted! Hello! None of that wouldn't have happened if you weren't so jealous about Zoey and Kalona!**

**Stark: ...DIE! *shoots me with an air soft gun***

**Me: Why Stark, WHY? I thought you loved me!**

**Okay, now for the actual chapter. Enjoy!**

Zoey P.O.V.

Stevie Rae said, "Be careful Zoey. The Dark Daughters can see almost okay at times, but that's when they're most dangerous."

Sounded like she was giving me advice on how to stay alive while in enemy territory. I shook my head. "Nuh uh. I am _so_ to going to their full moon thing."

"Full Moon Ritual," said Stark like the smart ass he is.

"Not helping!" I said in the same tone of voice.

Damien said, "I think you have to."

"Neferet okayed it," said the Twins.

Stevie Rae said, "That means she'll expect you to go. You can't tell your mentor no, especially when she's the High Priestess."

"And if you say you're not ready for it," said Stark, knowing where my line of thinking was, "They'll think you're scared of them."

"Uh, I might be scared of the psycho," I said.

"Don't let them know it," said Stevie Rae quietly. Damien patted her hand. She smiled sweetly at him and turned to me. "Just go. They won't do anythin' too bad here."

"Yeah, they do all their bullshit where the vamps can't catch them," said Shaunee.

Stark said, "Besides, I'll be there with you."

I groaned. I hated it when people ganged up on me like that. "Fine I'll go." I pushed my tray away and grabbed my crutches. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going up to my room and getting some rest before I have to deal with the hell that is the Dark Daughters."

Stark and Stevie Rae stood up too. "I'll come with you," they both said. They looked at each other in surprise.

Erin said in a low voice, "Awkward..."

"Uh, not to be rude or anythin' Stark, but boys aren't allowed in the dorms in fifteen minutes," Stevie Rae said. "Not a lot of time to hang out."

"He can walk with us," I said. Stark brightened a little. We said bye to Damien and the Twins and left the dining hall. I looked at the sky and said, "This is going to get some real getting used to."

"You're telling me. I have to get used to not sneaking out to see you or vice versa," said Stark, laughing a little.

"You two are really close, huh?" asked Stevie Rae, raising an eyebrow.

"The closest," I said.

She nodded absently. A silver-gray cat was chasing a smaller tabby in front of us. "Beelzebub, you leave Cammy alone!" said Stevie Rae, trying to grab the gray cat.

"Who's cat is that?" I asked.

"Well, that little devil that just ran off is the Twin's cat. Yes, he chose both of them, more evidence of their freaky Twinness." She picked up the tabby. "And this little sweetie is Damien's cat, Cameron."

"Please don't tell me everyone gets a cat," said Stark.

"Nope. Only if the cat chooses you."

"Oh good. I hate cats." I rolled my eyes. He thought cats were too "bitchy". I could never understand why though. They were adorable little creatures.

When we came to the dorms, Stevie Rae went inside and Stark and I faced each other. "Well," I said. "I think this'll be the first night I don't have to worry about not waking up in the morning."

"Yeah, same." He looked at the floor. "Uh, Z?"

"Yeah?"

He looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind and asked, "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

I sighed. Well, it was highly unlikely stepmonster was going to show up just to kill me. He hates vampyres. To him, I'm not worth it. "He...he raped me," I said softly, looking at the ground. "and he was going to do it again today."

Stark attacked me with a giant hug that made me drop my crutches. "I'm so sorry, Zoey," he whispered. I hugged him back, feeling very safe and secure in his arms. Nothing would hurt me if I was with Stark. He got my crutches and handed them to me. He gave me a peck on the cheek like he used to when I wouldn't see him the next day. I watched him go to his dorms before going in mine.


	11. finding the pets and a very long AN note

**So, obviously I've upset a few people with having Erik stick around as boyfriends, but don't worry! It won't last long. This is kind of a spoiler alert but I'm going to say it anyways, Heath is going to try to step out of the friend boundary but I'm not saying whether Z will go for it or not.**

**Hope it made you guys a little happier!**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

Stevie Rae was sitting on her bed in her flannel pajama set with cowboy boots all over them. I said as I sat on my bed, "Who brought my stuff up?"

"Dragon, the fencin' instructor, Stark, and some human kid. He seemed really nice but not exactly right in the head," she said, making a face.

I laughed. "Heath. He's Stark and mine best friend." I looked around and saw someone had put my Monster Inc. figurines all over my side of the room. I rolled my eyes. Probably Heath. I really got to get rid of those things. They were so embarrassing. I was really hoping they didn't go through my clothes. I have some clothes I just don't want them to know I have in my possession. And wouldn't you know it, most of them were a gift from Kayla, my best girl friend. Okay, she was my only girl friend so she was my best b default. I asked Stevie Rae, "How long do you think Neferet will make me wear this thing?" I gestured to my cast.

"Oh you can take that off before classes start tomorrow. We heal fast. If y'all were a full vamp, it would've been healed in a few hours. For us, it takes about a day."

"That's a relief. We practically just met so I really didn't feel comfortable with you helping me shower."

She giggled. Then she asked, "So what's really goin' on between you and Stark?"

"Nothing. We're just friends."

She didn't look convinced. "There's obviously somethin' there. I mean the guy rushes to your side the instant we walk in the dining hall, he's goin' with you to the Dark Daughters ritual tomorrow even though he know Aphrodite only invited him to flirt like the ho she is, he watches your every little move. And you do the same. A little more subtly but still," she said.

I played with my comforter. "I never noticed. He's always been like that. He's very protective and it can be really annoying sometimes but I know he means well." When she was about to talk some more, I said, "Hey, I've had a really long day. I'm just going to bed if that's all right with you."

She smiled softly and sympathetically. "No problamo. Night." She snuggled up in her blankets.

"Night, or day, or...whatever." I shook my head and changed into my pajamas. Then I went to bed, dreaming about a cat, of all things. Not hot guys, not the nightmare that was my life, not the scary new life I just entered, not even about the blow job I witnessed. Cats.

Stark P.O.V.

*In The Morning*

I yawned and stretched. I looked at the time and groaned. Why the hell did I wake up at seven p.m.? Classes didn't start for another hour. I rolled out of bed and threw on some shorts and a tank top. After putting on some shoes, I walked out of the dorm and walked around the school. It was just getting dark out and the sun cast long shadows along the school. I found myself at a wall with a giant oak tree. There was a figure huddled against the tree, looking up at its branches. The closer I got, the more I could see the figure. Zoey! "What are you doing out here?" I asked, making her jump.

She turned and breathed, "Stark," like she always did. It drove me crazy when she did that. I just wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her extremely passionately when she did that. "I just...had a dream that I needed to be out here." She pointed to the branches. "There's a cat up there with a dog."

I looked and said, "How in hell does a dog get stuck in a tree?" Shaking my head, I started climbing the tree. The cat hissed and jumped down, landing in Zoey's arms. Like I said, cats are bitchy. I said to the dog, "This isn't going to be easy, but can you jump down or even go on the wall and jump down?" The dog seemed to nod and walked over to the wall before jumping off the less high wall. I climbed down the tree and petted the dog. "You're a pretty-" I looked between its legs, "-girl."

"You're my cat, aren't you?" Zoey asked the cat. It sneezed in her face and she laughed. "I'll call you Nala."

"What should we do with the dog?" I asked.

"Ask Neferet? I need to see her anyways about my cast." The two animals followed us to the infirmary where Neferet was working. She was looking at a book with a frustrated expression. Zoey asked shyly, "Um, Neferet?"

The High Priestess looked up and smiled. She closed the book and came over to us. "Why hello Zoey, Stark. What can I help you with?"

"I wanted to know when I could take my cast off," said Z.

She said, "Well, I need to see how the bones are first but hopefully today." She lead Zoey over to a chair. She asked me, "And what can I do for you?"

"Well, we found this dog in a tree." She rose an eyebrow and I quickly said, "I have no idea how a dog got up in a tree, but she was there. I was just wondering what I should do with her." The dog hit my leg with her snout and I petted her.

Neferet smiled. "I think you can keep her. It seems you have found your version of a cat," she said, turning to Zoey.

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Of course. Leave it to you to be the weird one."

"Sure Ms. Freaky Mark." She stuck her tongue out at me and I laughed. "Real mature," I said.

**Short, yes. Next chappie will be classes! And we'll get to see Macho Warrior Man Stark in Fencing. Am I the only one who really wants to see Stark fence without a shirt on? Oh, and let me take some time now to thank all of my wonderful reviewers and I do mean **_**all**_** of you. Starting from the very first reviewer!**

**Nyx's Pinky Girl****, Valeria, jessica, Mara, Nina, Lola, Monika, Ellie, Mark, James, ****Circe37****, Clarabella, ****RenesmeeRedbird****, Maddai, Camilla, ., Herica, Dianna, Frankie, wow, Valen, StarkisabsolutelyHOT, Miranda, Candy, Jennifer, Luce, Daniel, Eleonoretta, Katherine, Sally, Fernanda, Gina, Holly, Clara, Bliss, Sammy, PnksFan, Someone, WickyWicky, Francesca, i guess im going under again, WitchRavenFox, Monica, Sonia, KellY, Massika, AnnieHonson, Gaia, Klara, Marta, Isabelle, Alice, nunyabezwax, JLauren, Florays, Noemi, Helena, Starkslover, Arriane, katy, margaret, annie, Alexandra, mzkaylamarie, Valentina, Guinevre, Twilight-Shopaholic, .hell, snottyscottie, Marlene Person, NverSayNver, jstarkluver19, Samantha, Sasha, and all of you anonymous reviewers and all of the subscribers.**

**And an extra big thank you to .hell and Nyx's Pinky Girl for being my number one reviewers on all of my stories!**

**Review!**


	12. First Day of Classes

**Yay! I'm not alone in wanting to see Stark fence shirtless! XD**

**Evilprincess98- don't worry. ErikXZoey will be short but not like 1 chapter short. I'm still deciding whether I should do the imprint or not...ug! decisions decisions! and yes, I am and will always be STARKSARROWGIRL! WWOOOO! :)**

Enjoy the chappie!

Zoey P.O.V.

Stevie Rae and I hurried to get ready after she had handed me my schedule. "Is anyone in these classes?" I asked her around a bite of cereal.

She looked at it. "Damien's in Soc., him and me are in Lit., and Damien's in fencin'."

"Wow, so I guess I'll get to know Damien a lot." We laughed.

"Hello Zoey," said that sickly sweet voice that needed to take some meds.

"Hello, Aphrodite."

"I just wanted to tell you where the Rec Hall was so you wouldn't get lost after the school ritual. It's at 4 A.M. sharp, we'll serve you dinner. Be sure to tell your friend," she said before twitching off. I swear I'm going to hit her if she goes near Stark.

"If she shakes her butt any more when she walks she's gonna break something," I said.

Stevie Rae almost spewed milk out of her nose. Coughing, she said, "Don't do that when I'm eatin'!"

I shrugged and ate the last spoonful of cereal. "Ready to go?"

"Yup. So this'll be easy. Your first hour is right next to mine. I'll point you in the right direction and you'll be set." We put our dishes in the dishwasher and scampered off to class.

I sat next to Damien in Soc. and saw Stark sitting behind me. Jeez, last time he sat behind me, he kept poking my back or playing with my hair or distracting me in every way humanly possible. When Neferet came in, everyone was caught by her powerful presence. She was truly amazing. Damien showed me my little cubby/locker/cabinet thingy and explained a bunch of things. The lesson was so cool, Stark actually paid attention and didn't bug me. I know, it shocked me too. Neferet called me and Stark over after class. "How are you two?" she asked.

"Fine," we said.

I said, "Yeah, I don't think we have to worry about Stark's head being messed up. He's got a thick skull." He smacked the back of my head as I laughed.

Neferet smiled at our banter. "Well then, you two better go before you're late."

We nodded and left. "What are you taking?" I asked Stark.

"Drama. It seemed easier than anything else."

I rolled my eyes as Stevie Rae ran over. "Hey y'all! I take it you two had the same class?" she said.

"Yep and the same next class," I said.

"That's just freaky. I swear you two are gonna be the next Shaunee and Erin." She shook her head and pointed us to the drama room.

Prof. Nolan oozed energy. She was like a squirrel on crack, I swear. Great. Now I'm starting to think like Stark. "Welcome to Drama! We're starting monologues today and I've asked one of our most talented upperclassmen to help. He has agreed to recite the famous monologue from Shakespeare's Othello. And here he is now!"

Stark P.O.V.

When he walked in the door, I immediately looked at Z. She was staring at him with her mouth open like a moron. That's just great. She thinks he's hot. Then her eyes widened. She must have just realized who he was. "Erik, as usual, your timing is perfect. We are ready for your monologue."

Erik stepped onto the little stage and looked straight at Zoey. "Hi. How are you guys doing?" I noticed Z blushed. "Monologues seem intimidating, but the key is to get your lines down, and then to imagine you're actually acting with a full cast of actors. Like this..."

As he did the Othello thing, his eyes never left Zoey's. I concentrated on not leaping on the stage and punching him to a bloody pulp. He better stay away from Zoey. She just got away from a terrible time and she doesn't need him to mess up her life again. Everyone clapped. As he left, he looked at the gawking Zoey, smiled at her, and left.

I pulled myself out of a daydream of beating the crap out of him by Zoey and some girl from Vamp Soc. talking about him. I grabbed a monologue book, shook my head, and tried to find a monologue that I could do better than that slut loving asshole.

*Skipping Lit to fencing*

Zoey P.O.V.

Stark wasn't in my Lit class which I was immensely glad for. We were studying Titanic and I really didn't need him making fun of my ex infatuation with Leonardo DiCaprio. He was in my fencing class, though. I finally met his mentor, Dragon. He was a pretty nice guy until he picked up the sword- or epee as I learned later. I got paired up with Damien but we didn't do anything really huge because my leg was technically still healing. Most of the time, I was watching Stark. He was amazing. Almost as good as Damien and Dragon. Okay, maybe not as good as Dragon, but still. He was amazing for someone who had never picked up a sword before today. Stark and I hurried to the dining hall for lunch with Damien trailing along. In the line, we saw mini-corn. Stark shook his head. "How are these even considered corn?"

"They don't even taste like corn," I agreed.

Stark and I slid in the booth next to Stevie Rae and Damien sat on the twins' side. Stevie Rae asked me, "So, Zoey, give. What about Erik Night?" Everyone focused on me.

I swallowed the piece of salad I had just taken and said, "He kept looking at me."

"Staring is more like it," said Stark, picking at his food.

"It was probably just part of his act." I shook my head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up," said Damien.

Shaunee said, "Erik Night-"

"The hottest damn fledgling on this planet," said Erin.

"-Was checking you out?" continued Shaunee.

"It was probably just part of his monologue." I shrugged.

"What monologue?" asked Stevie Rae as if that was some hidden meaning or something.

"Othello."

She nodded, thinking. Shaunee said, "Do not let this opportunity pass you by." Erin nodded.

"Pass me by? He didn't even say anything to me," I said.

"Did you smile back at him?" Damien asked.

Stark snorted. "No. She stared at him like a moron."

"What is your problem?" I asked him.

"My problem is that everyone thinks he's the greatest thing since white bread when he's obviously an ass."

The table gasped. "How can you say that?" asked Stevie Rae.

"Easy, I did. He's a sleaze bag. We saw Aphrodite giving him a blowjob in one of the halls."

"Trying to. He kept pushing her away," I corrected.

"You're saying she was trying to give him a blowjob?" said Damien. He had put down his fork and was now staring at me for the answer.

"That boy has it going on upstairs," said Shaunee shock.

"We know he has it going on downstairs," said Erin, licking her lips. Damien and Stevie Rae shook their heads. Erin said, "Oh do not tell me you don't stare at his butt too."

"That's beside the point!" said Stevie Rae, blushing.

"Whatever. I just don't like him at all." He pushed his food away from him.

Stevie Rae said quietly, "It would really piss off Aphrodite if you talk to him."

"Very true..." said Damien.

"Super true," said the twins.

"He was probably just staring at my Mark," I blurted.

"Maybe not. You're really cute Zoey," said Stevie Rae with smile.

I swear I heard Stark say, "Cute doesn't cover it." but I shook my head and convinced myself he didn't. Shaunee said, "Either way, his looking will definitely piss Aphrodikey off."

Erin and Damien said, "Which is a good thing."

Stevie Rae waved away their comments. "Look, just forget about all that stuff. Next time he smiles at you, say hi."

"Okay," I mumbled. I wish it was as easy as they thought it was.


	13. Rituals and the East Wall scene

Stark P.O.V.

Stevie Rae and I were running to the stables after class to get Zoey. She wasn't at the big oak tree like she said she would be. So we were going to her last class to find her. I should've known she would take something to do with horses. She loved horses, especially Grandma Redbird's horse Bunny. Zoey took care of that horse like it was her baby, seriously. We found her in the farthest stall giving her Don't Procreate with Losers speech. I can't tell you how many times Heath and I were forced to listen to it. "Zoey! There you are!" said Stevie Rae, out of breath.

Zoey squealed and jumped. "Ohmygod! Why must everyone scare the poo out of me?" she said, calming down the horse.

"The Full Moon thing starts in two minutes," I said.

"Aw hell!" She patted the horse and put everything away where it went. Then we were running to Nyx's Temple.

Stevie Rae filled Z in on what she told me in our wait. Stevie Rae stepped up to Anastasia, the spells and rituals teacher. The vampyre traced a pentagram on her forehead and said, "Blessed be Stevie Rae."

"Blessed be," she responded before going in to a smoky room.

Zoey went next. When she went in the room I stepped up. Anastasia said, "Merry meet, Stark, welcome to the House of Night and you new life and blessed be."

"Blessed be." I felt an electric shiver when she did the star. Suddenly, I felt the need to pick up a bow and arrow.

I went inside and found everyone. I stood by Zoey. I was astounded as the ritual went on. It was like nothing I had ever experience. When Neferet called the elements, I noticed Zoey's hair got messed up and there was a sheet of sweat on her neck. I bumped her and mouthed, "You okay?" She nodded and turned to the right for earth.

After that Neferet said, "Close your eyes, Children of Nyx and send a secret desire to your Goddess. Tonight, when the veil between the worlds is thin- when magic is afoot within the mundane- perhaps Nyx will grant your petitions and dust you with the gossamer mist of dreams fulfilled."

Praying for magic, really? That's so retarded! But I shrugged internally, closed my eyes and wished even though I knew it was pointless. I wish...I wish I could be bound to Zoey in a very close way. A way that no one could duplicate or take away from us.

They passed a goblet of wine around the circle and it was actually really good. I might have to steal some of that. Wait, nope. We can't get drunk. Dammit.

After the ritual, everyone was talking about food. I said, "Uh, we have to go..."

"Aw crap!" said Shaunee.

"The hags from hell," said Erin.

"Want us to save you a plate?" asked Damien.

Zoey said, "Aphrodite said they're going to feed us."

"Probably raw meat," said Shaunee.

"Yeah from some poor kid she caught in her nasty spider web," chimed Erin.

"By that she means the one between her legs," Shaunee explained. I laughed while Zoey looked sick.

"Would y'all stop?" Stevie Rae said, shaking her head. She said, "I'll catch you three later, I got to show them where the Rec Hall is."

Outside, Zoey said, "They're kidding, right?" Stevie Rae shrugged. "Great. I don't even like my steak rare."

"Which I soooo don't get," I said.

"What am I going to do if they really do try to feed me raw meat?"

"I think I have some Tums somewhere in my purse. Want it?" said Stevie Rae. Ug, what other creepy things does she keep in there? Purses creep me out...

"Yeah."

*Rec Hall*

As we walked up the steps, Zoey wound her arm with mine. "It'll be fine. I'll beat anyone's ass that tried to get you," I said.

She smiled weakly at me.

When we came inside, Aphrodite found us. Her eyes narrowed at our linked arms but she pretended to be happy and innocent. She ushered Zoey off to the girls' bathroom and threw me some clothes. I rolled my eyes but changed. When Z came out of the bathroom, I had to keep my eyes in my head which was hard. "You look amazing, Z," I said, taking her arm.

"Thanks," she blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself." Yeah, all black dress clothes. She noticed my hair. "You couldn't at least tried to tame the mop known as your hair?"

"Nope. Besides, the chicks dig it." I smirked and she rolled her eyes.

I sniffed the air when we joined the circle and thought, Z's going to freak once she realizes its pot. When the ritual started and Aphrodite started dancing I bumped hips with Zoey and did a mini version of the ho dance. She was trying not to laugh. Then she got serious as we turned for the elements. She looked like she ran a marathon by the end. I was going to ask her what was wrong when Aphroskanky came around to us. "Drink, Zoey Redbird and Stark, and join us in asking Nyx for what is ours by the right of blood and body and the Mark of the great Change- the Mark that she had already touched you with." She gave Zoey a goblet filled with wine and Z gulped it. Then she gave it to me. It was just as amazing as the one in the school ritual. Sweet yet spicy. It made my head a little dizzy.

After the ritual, Zoey got into a heated conversation with Deino and Enyo. I learned there was blood in the wine. Zoey looked really pale at this. She excused herself to the bathroom, leaving me with the sluts. This ought to be interesting.

Zoey P.O.V. (After she sees Elizabeth's ghost)

It was amazing how finding out you drank some kid's blood, puking it (and all your food from that day) up, and seeing a ghost of the person you heard was dead from your best friend could wear you out. I was exhausted. Then I heard a familiar voice yelling, "Zo!"

I climbed up the wall and looked over at a beam of light. "Heath?" I called trying to see past the light.

"Zoey!" I saw him hurl himself up the wall and scramble up. I hope he didn't fall and break something. Unless he landed on his head, then he might be okay. "I knew I'd find you sooner or later!" he said smiling like an idiot.

"You shouldn't be here, Heath," I said. "Not that I don't love seeing you but still."

"But I gotta tell you something really important. Something I've wanted to tell you for a while." Everything about him was so serious, I was scared.

Stark P.O.V.

I was looking for Z when I heard her talking to someone. On closer examination, I saw it was Heath. What the hell was he doing here? Oh shit, he's going to tell her. "You're gay?" she guessed. I wanted to burst out laughing.

"What? No!" he said, offended. This was great! I was doubled over trying not to laugh.

"It's okay if you are. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised you were-" he started to say.

"I'm not gay," interrupted Heath. I stood up straight and sighed quietly. "Look, Zo, I really really like you."

"Yeah, that's why we're best friends." So she sorta knew where this was going.

"I was kind of hoping we could be," he took her hands, "more than friends."

Zoey looked conflicted. She started to say, "Heath, I-" He cut her off by kissing her hard. I tried not to run over and tackle him. Zoey pushed him off of her a little too hard and he fell off the wall with a thud. I wanted to crack up so bad. "Ohmygod, are you okay?" she called.

"I'm okay," he answered.

"You should probably go."

"I'm going," he groaned. I heard him get up and leave.

Zoey called, "You might want to put some ice on it!" She sighed and climbed down the wall. I tried not to look as her dress hiked up her thighs. She sniffed and I noticed she was crying. I grabbed the tissues I always kept in my pocket. Hey, don't judge. Every time she cries, it's full on snot crying so Heath and I learned to keep tissues with us. I went over to her and handed her the tissue without a word. She looked at me, tear drenched eyes wide. "How- How long have you been there?" she hiccupped.

"Long enough for you to guess Heath was gay." She laughed a little and wiped her nose. I put my arm around her and said, "It'll be okay. I promise."

She leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed. "I don't see how. I'm going to end up hurting Heath because I don't think of him in that way. He's my best friend, that's it," she said.

"He won't stop being your friend, I know that much."

"How do you know?"

"Because, I know Heath. He won't be able to stay away for long." Stubborn ass.


	14. Getting Walked Home and BFF Talk

Zoey P.O.V.

"Zoey? Are you out here?" someone called. Well hell. That was the only person who could make this go from bad to really bad. Erik Night came over, carrying my purse. He was smiling brightly until he saw Stark. His smile faltered. "I, uh, brought your purse. You left it in the Rec Hall."

"Thanks," I said, taking it and standing up with Stark.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over," said Stark sarcastically.

I elbowed his arm. "Just some friend problems. Stark and I were just going to head back to the dorms if you want to join us."

"Over my dead-" I elbowed him in the stomach and smiled at Erik.

He looked between us weirdly and said, "I don't want to intrude or anything."

"You're not intruding!" I said a little too quickly. Great, Zoey, sound desperate. I cleared my throat and said a little more coolly, "It's fine."

He shrugged and walked on the other side of me. It was a very awkward walk, silent. I could feel waves of resentment flowing off of Stark and I wondered why he hated Erik so much. He was a nice guy. Erik asked, "Why did you leave so abruptly?"

"I freaked. About the blood."

His brows furrowed. "Aphrodite didn't tell you about the blood." He didn't phrase it as a question, but as a statement. I shook my head. "That shouldn't surprise me that she lied again. She said she was going to tell you." He shook his head. "Don't worry if it tastes awful to you. You don't get a taste for blood until you're a fifth former."

"What if I _liked_ it?" I asked, nervously.

"You liked it?"

I nodded. Stark said, "I sort of liked it too. It was like...like I just drank some alcohol or something."

"I never heard of third formers liking blood. You should try asking Damien."

We came to the girls' dorm and stopped in front of the door. I kind of stood there, not sure what to do. I told them, "Well, I guess I'll see you later." Erik surprised me my giving me a hug. I gave Stark a hug and kissed his cheek like normal before heading in the dorm.

In our room, Stevie Rae was up trying to pet Nala, but Nala wouldn't let her. She said, "So, how was it?"

"Okay. I met Warlike, Terrible, and Wasp." I sat on my bed with a huff.

"Ah. They weren't too mean were they?" Her eyes were worried.

Not directly. "Not really. I ran into my friend Heath. He wants to be more than friends in his words." I sighed.

Stevie Rae gasped. "Ohmygoodness! What happened with that?"

"Well, I thought he was gay at first then he said he wanted to be more than friends and kissed me and I sort of pushed him off the wall," I said, grimacing.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's fine."

"Okay good."

"Erik Night and Stark walked me home and Stark was very open about not liking Erik." I rolled my eyes. Talk about understatement. I got up and picked out my pajamas and went into the bathroom to change as Stevie Rae freaked.

She said, "_Erik Night? _Erik Night walked you home and put up with Stark?"

"Yeah. I can't tell you how awkward it was," I said, coming out of the bathroom in my pajamas.

"You are one lucky girl, I hope you know that."

I smiled and got under the sheets. "Good night, Stevie Rae."

"'Night!"

**short, yes. I know. reviews? yes please!**


	15. Writer's Block

hey guys! sorry this isn't another chapter but I have some major writer's block and I just can't seem to get over it no matter how hard I try.

so, I regret to inform you all that this story is on hold until further notice. I will be working on my other stories in hope some inspiration will come along. If you want to help me at all, that would be fantastic!

I'm really sorry guys!

-Starksarrowgirl


	16. I'm Baaaaack!

**Hey! I'm baaaaack! I know, it's been a while but hey, guess what? Writer's block is over! :D expect more updates! :D**

Zoey P.O.V.

During breakfast, I almost ran into Aphrodite. Too bad I didn't spill any milk on her. She said with a twisted smile, "Hi, Zoey. Gosh, you left in such a hurry last night I didn't get a chance to say bye. Sorry you didn't have a good time. It's too bad, but the Dark Daughters isn't for everyone."

I removed my tongue from my cheek and gushed, "Actually, I had a great time last night, and I absolutely love the dress you gave me! Thank you for inviting me to joim the Dark Daughters. I accept. Totally."

Her smile faltered and her tone went a little flat. "Really?"

I smiled cockily, a thing I learned from Stark. I said, "Really! When's the next meeting or ritual or whatever- or should I just ask Neferet? I'm going to see her this morning. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear how welcome you made me feel last night." My tone went a little sharp at the end.

She sort of glared at me and then said hastily, "That won't be necessary. Tomorrow is our Samhain celebration. Wear your dress and meet at the rec hall right after dinner, four thirty A.M., sharp. Oh, and don't hesitate to bring your friend again." She twitched off with Warlike and Terrible at her heels.

Stevie Rae whispered, shocked, "You're joining them?"

"I'm reconnoitering. That's all I'm doing. Aphrodite gets away with too much crap. She can't be what Nyx wants for a High Priestess."

"You're going to stop her," said Stevie Rae, eyes widening.

"I'm gonna try."

Stark P.O.V.

"Oooooo! Don't they look so cute together!" gushed Stevie Rae during lunch. Damien and I looked over to where the Twins and Zoey were. I gritted my teeth when I saw Erik Night with Zoey. Stevie Rae looked over at me and said, "Is someone jealous?"

I turned my glare to her and she smiled impishly. "Of course not! Zoey's my best friend, that's it."

"Suuure she is," said Damien.

"If you're not gonna admit you like her, then don't make it that obvious," said Erin, sitting down.

Shaunee said, "Yeah, if looks could kill, Erik would've been dead over a hundred times by now."

They all gawked as Zoey and Erik came over. I glared at my plate. Then Erik asked her, "So, will you go...with me...tonight?"

Words couldn't describe how I felt towards Mr. "Perfect". I wanted to kill him over and over again and then burn his body and dance on his ashes.

The whole table literally held their breath. "I'd like to but I can't tonight. I- uh- I already have plans," she said.

I let out a relieved breath and Stevie Rae kicked me under the table. Erik left and Zoey sat down next to me.

Stevie Rae asked, "What could be more important than a date with him?"

"Getting rid of Aphrodite," she said simply.

Damien said, "She has a point."

"She joined the Dark Daughters," said Shaunee.

"What!" both Damien and I exclaimed.

"She's reconnoitering," said Stevie Rae.

"Fuck that!" I said, earning a slap from Zoey. What was with her and no cussing?

Damien said, "If she joined the Dark Daughters she's engaging the enemy full on."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked her.

"I don't really know. I mean, I kinda have an idea," she said.

Stevie Rae said, "Good. Tell us and we'll brainstorm."

Zoey sighed and said, "I thought I'd perform an ancient purification prayer based on Cherokee ritual and ask Nyx to help me come up with a plan."

While they discussed whether Z was actually Cherokee or not, I asked her quietly, "You talked to Grandma didn't you?"

Zoey's grandma was the wisest, nicest lady you would ever meet. Her and Z were super close. Zoey nodded.

What she had to say next shocked the crap out of me. "I think I can feel the five elements when a circle is cast."

**review my lovelies!**


	17. I Always Knew You Were Special, Z

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry** **it's taken me so long to update. I've been grounded and then weird stuff was happening with my computer and its been awful. But hopefully I'll be able to update more now.**  
Heath POV  
Okay, so telling Zo didn't exactly go as Heath planned. Fine, it didn't go at all like he planned. He was hoping for maybe an "I've always loved you too, Heath" or some other declaration of her undying love for him. Heath was not, however, expecting her to slam him into the friend zone and push him off the wall. Well, that might've partly been his fault. She wouldn't have pushed him if he hadn't kissed her.  
Heath took another drink of his beer. He had been trying to quit drinking for a while now but with what happened between him and Zo, he found himself drinking even more. _Damn Stark_, he thought. _He's probably been winning Zoey over this whole time and that's why she doesn't want me_. His phone buzzed. Well speak of the devil.  
Stark had texted him saying, _Heath, we need to talk_.  
_Hell ya we do,_ he said back.  
_The park, right now.  
Fine._  
Heath finished off his beer and slammed it down. They were going to settle this once and for all.  
Zoey POV  
After a moment's silence, they all exploded. Stark remained silent. Shaunee said, "I knew there was something special about you and your Mark!"  
Erin said, "Talk about good gossip someday."  
"I don't think there's a record of any High Priestess who has had an affinity with all five elements," said Damien excitedly. "You could potentially be the most puissant-"  
"Strong- powerful," Stevie Rae explained to us vocab idiots.  
"- High Priestess the vampyres have ever known!"  
I turned to Stark. I said, "You're being weirdly quiet."  
He shrugged. "I've always known there was something special about you, Z," he said simply. I smiled. "I'm thinking you might actually be able to take out Aphroskanky."  
"Now that's some seriously good news," the twins said. Damien and Stevie Rae nodded enthusiastically.  
Stevie Rae asked, "So when are we doing this prayer thing?"  
I was about to argue, saying I can do it on my own but Stark said, "Don't even, Z. We're in this together."  
"Even the most puissant High Priestess needs her circle," said Damien.  
"I wasn't thinking of doing a circle," I said weakly.  
"Then you can cast a circle, pray, and we'll be able to see if you really do have an affinity for the elements," Stark said. Wow. When did he get so smart?  
I looked around at their determined faces, looking at Stark last. I sighed. "Okay, first I'll need a smudge stick..."  
Stark POV  
During fencing, I was in the zone. I was imagining my opponent was a mix of that dumbass Erik and Heath and probably was a bit too aggressive, but I didn't care. I was still pretty pissed they had both made moves on Zoey. My Zoey. And it was killing me that I couldn't do anything about it without her knowing how I felt. I wasn't stupid like Heath. I would rather be in her life as her best friend than lose her all together. I didn't slow down until the bell rang. As I put the foil down, Dragon came over. "You did excellent today, Stark," he said. "In fact, you did so well, I was wondering if you would be interested in taking a Warrior Training class."  
"Warrior Training?"  
"When a fledgling displays signs of a Warrior Spirit, we allow them to take a special class to enhance their abilities."  
I shrugged. "Sure, why not."  
He said, "I should warn you, though. This decision should not be made lightly. Once you choose this path, you will continue it for the rest of your life."  
"I thought it was just a class." The way he was talking made me nervous.  
"Yes, but when you Change you will be transferred to a Sons of Erebus facility where you will continue your training to be a Son of Erebus." Seeing the giant question mark on my face, he explained who the Sons of Erebus are. Then he said something that really peeked my interest.  
"Warriors often are bound to a High Priestess and make it their duty to protect their Priestess," he said.  
Damien had called Zoey a High Priestess. Had the vampyre goddess answered my prayer? Was this a way I could be bound to Zoey in a way no one else could? I made up my mind. "I'll do it," I said.  
Dragon smiled and clapped me on the back. "I'll let Neferet know so she can change your schedule." He left.  
Zoey joined him outside. "What did Dragon want?" she asked.  
"Schedule change. I'll tell you about it later," I said before we went to our separate classes.  
**Review!**


	18. Stay Away

Zoey POV (after the mini showdown between her and Aphrodite in the stables)

"She did what?!" Stark almost exploded after I told the group what had happened. His voice echoed to the nearby people, making them look at him weirdly.  
I hushed him hastily. I said, "She didn't actually do anything other than threaten me."  
Stevie Rae said, "Only because you stopped her and put her skinny butt in line. She would've clawed your eyes out if you didn't stop her."  
I shot her a look that told her she wasn't helping. Stark started to get up from the table, saying, "I'm going to go find that blonde bimbo and-"  
"You're not going to do anything," I said, grabbing his arm and making him sit back down. "We have somewhat of a plan and we don't need you getting yourself into trouble because of what some skank tried to do." He grumbled something and reluctantly listened. I almost sighed. Sometimes he overreacts a little too much. Okay, majority of the time he does. I asked him, "So what did Dragon want?"  
"He asked if I wanted to join some special warrior training class," he said like it was no big deal.  
Damien's eyes widened and he asked, "He did?"  
Stark looked a little confused at Damien's reaction. "Yeah. Is it a big deal or something?" he asked.  
"Usually male fledglings that take the Warrior Training class go on to be Sons of Erebus, some of the most celebrated vampyres," Damien said. "Warrior Training is only offered to those who have a Warrior Spirit."  
"What's Warrior Spirit?" I asked.  
Damien said, "I'm not entirely sure, but I know it's something a vampyre can sense in a fledgling."  
Shaunee gasped in mock horror and said, "Something Queen Damien doesn't know? Twin, I do think our little bookworm is slipping."  
"I think I may faint from the shock, Twin," said Erin.  
Damien rolled his eyes at them. Then he said to Stark, "I don't remember learning about it being shown so early, though. The earliest I can think of hearing is in a fourth former." He studied both Stark and me. "You two are an unusual pair."  
"That's for dang sure," chimed in Stevie Rae.  
Then the Twins turned the conversation to shopping. I looked at Stark and grinned. "So you're going to be a macho warrior guy now, huh?" I said playfully.  
He grinned back. "Yup. And when I'm done training and you're a High Priestess, I'll come back and be your Warrior." He bumped shoulders with me.  
I looked down at my food and suddenly felt a little queasy. I said, "Like I'd ever be a High Priestess."  
"You will," he said. I looked back up at him and he had that cocky little grin again. "You'll be the best High Priestess the vampyres have ever seen."  
He had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much faith in me if he really thought that. I was going to tell him he was full of bullpoopie when Erik walked by with two of his friends. We looked at each other and he said a simple, "Hi, Zoey." and walked away. Dinner definitely did not taste good after that. The rest of dinner, I was quiet, thinking about Erik, thinking about the circle we would be doing tonight, thinking about Erik, thinking about Heath and Aphrodite, thinking about Erik. I hardly noticed Stark was just as silent. When Stevie Rae was done, we got up and acted like we were going back to our room.  
Stark got up and followed us out of the dining hall, but started going in the opposite direction. He said, "I might be a little late to the prayer thing."  
"What are you doing?" I asked.  
"Don't worry about. Just focus on your circle." He gave me a crooked smile and jogged off.  
Stevie Rae said, "Whatever he's doing can't be good."  
I nodded. "I just hope he doesn't get himself into too much trouble," I said. Then I sighed and said, "Come on. Let's do the circle."  
Stark POV  
I drove my truck to the park and saw Heath sitting on one of the benches. When I walked up, he stood up and glared at me. "Heath," I said. He crossed his arms at me. "You know why I'm here."  
"Zoey," we both said.  
I continued by saying, "You need to stay away from her. She has enough on her plate without you adding more problems."  
"You know what's always pissed me off most about you?" he said, pointing at me. "The fact that you think you can tell people what they can and can't do and you expect them to listen to you."  
I ignored him and said, "Look, Zoey's having a bit of a stressful time right now getting a handle on her new life. You need to leave her alone and not kiss her when she doesn't want it."  
His glare got even sharper. "You don't know if she wanted it or not."  
Even from how far we were standing from each other, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I said, "Shit Heath, you're not drunk are you? I thought you quit drinking."  
"You don't know as much about me as you thought you did," he said. "Just like you don't know my Zo as well as you think you do."  
"She not your anything!" I said, getting angry at him.  
"And she's not yours either!"  
I wanted to punch him so bad when he said that, but I restrained myself. I said, "She's my best friend and I'm just trying to do what's best for her."  
"Bull shit!" Heath said, a little too loud. "You just want me out of the way so you can have her all to yourself."  
"No, I-"  
"Don't even try to cover it up with a lie. That's why you're doing this. You want Zoey," he said.  
"No I don't. She's just a friend." His look clearly said he didn't believe me. I said, "She really is going through a hard time right now and she doesn't need the extra stress."  
Heath shook his head and said, "If Zo's having problems, then I'm sure as hell not going anywhere. I will always be there for her when she needs me."  
I went in his face and tried to ignore the alcohol smell. Heath didn't back down and stared me down just as hard. I said low and dangerous, "If I see you anywhere near her again, from this point out, I will put your ass in the hospital. I mean it. Stay. Away. From. Zoey." I started backing away and as I was, I said, "And your right. I do want Zoey. I've always loved her. But I'm not stupid enough to force myself on her like you." I got in my truck and drove back to the school, pissed.  
"Fucking Heath," I grumbled as I parked my truck in the space next to Zoey's bug. I sat in the truck for a few minutes, trying to calm down so Zoey wouldn't know something was up. I gripped the steering wheel a little harder than necessary and said, "Fucking Erik too. Those two are stubborn asshats." Then I sighed and got out of the truck and walked to the spot where the others were supposed to be.  
They had already started the circle without me and it looked like they were about halfway through. I stayed hidden, not wanting to break them out of the zone. I took this time to watch Zoey freely. Something was definitely different about her and it was a good different. She seemed so much happier and lighter; like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She faced Stevie Rae and said just loud enough for the circle and me to hear, "Earth supports and surrounds us. We wouldn't be anything without her. I ask that you hear me, earth, and I summon you to this circle." The green candle Stevie Rae was holding was lot and suddenly, the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air.  
Damien said excitedly, "Four."  
Zoey walked to the center of the circle with a purple candle and said, "The last element is one that fills everything and everyone. It makes is unique and it breathes life into all things. I ask thy you hear me, spirit, and I summon you to this circle." As her candle was lit, I swear I felt my own spirit jump. A glowing light that shined like the full moon wrapped around all of them. I turned my gaze back to Zoey and felt my heart jump too. Pure, unfiltered happiness filled her expression and made her look so stunningly beautiful, it was almost hard to breathe. I hadn't seen her look that happy in years.  
Damien said, "That makes five!"  
"Holy crap!" Zoey exclaimed, making everyone chuckle. Then she went more serious. "Okay, I'm going to speak the purification prayer. And as I'm speaking it, I'm going to face each of the elements, one at a time. I need you guys to focus on the prayer. Concentrate. Believe that the elements will carry it to Nyx and that the Goddess will answer it by helping me to know what I should do." She took a deep breath to ground herself and faced Damien as she started the prayer. Even though I wasn't actually part of the circle, I still focused on the prayer and prayed a little myself. Then, when she was done, she said, "Blessed be!" and closed the circle.  
I decided to come out of hiding and joined the others. I said to Zoey, "That was amazing."  
She looked shocked to see me and then asked, "Where were you? I wanted to wait for you but it was getting late."  
"I know, I'm sorry. I just had something I had to take care of." She was going to push it some more but I quickly stopped her by saying, "So, still think you're not going to be a High Priestess?"  
She got quiet and the others started gushing about how amazing it was when she called all the elements. We all started going back to the dorms when Damien noticed Zoey was hanging back. "Hey Z, you coming?"  
"Uh, yeah. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up." She sat on he ground and looked up at the sky, deep in thought.  
I was going to go sit with her when Stevie Rae put a hand on my shoulder. "Let her be for a bit. She needs to do some thinkin'," she said. "Wouldn't you if you found out you're the only fledgling in history to have an affinity for all five elements?"  
I listened to her and went back to the dorms with Damien but quickly wished I hadn't. Because the first person we ran into was Mr. Perfect himself- Erik.  
We met him about halfway to the dorms and he said, "Hey Damien." He looked at me and said, "You're Zoey's friend, right?"  
"I'm Stark, yeah," I said, not too friendly.  
"Is she around?" he asked.  
I was about to tell him fuck off but Damien cut me off and said, "She's by the big oak tree."  
"Thanks," he said, giving Damien a perfect smile before going off to find Zoey.  
"That bastard needs to stay away from her-" I started to say, turning around to follow but Damien caught me and made me keep walking with him.  
He said, "I think it's time we had a little guy to guy chat."  
Aw, hell.

**Review!**


	19. Guy to Guy Chat

"You need to get your jealousy under control, Stark," said Damien once we were in my room. He was sitting on the empty bed across the room and I was laying on my bed with Duchess, petting her.  
"What jealousy thing?" I said, trying to play dumb.  
Damien said, "Don't even try that. It's obvious you have a thing for Zoey." I sighed. He continued by saying, "If you're not going to man up and tell her how you feel, you can't get all angry and jealous when she starts going out with other people."  
"Yes I can," I mumbled, earning a glare from him. "I would tell her how I feel, it's just...it's complicated, all right?"  
"How is it complicated?" he asked.  
I sat up and looked at him. "We've been friends for a while, we've practically grown up together. It's come to the point where we depend on each other for practically everything." I paused and almost smiled. "I honestly wouldn't know what to do without her. She keeps me in line for the most part and...she's my strength, really." I realized I was spacing out a bit thinking about her and shook my head, the slight smile I had fading. "She needs me too, now more than ever. I've always protected her as best I could from everyone that tried to hurt her in anyway and now that we know she could become the most powerful High Priestess in vampyre history, I need to be there to protect her from anyone who would come after her. If I tell her how I feel now, I could screw that up royally and end up not being in her life at all."  
"Or she could end up feeling the same way and you two could live happily ever after," Damien said.  
I gave him an 'are you kidding me' look. "Right. And then we'll ride off into the sunset on my magical unicorn that shits rainbows and gold," I said with a snort. I laid back down on my back and muttered, "She'll never feel the same way about me."  
Damien sighed and said, "So from what you just described to me is you want to be her Warrior. Is that why you wanted to take Dragon's offer and take Warrior Training?"  
I nodded. "My wish when I got here was to be connect to Zoey in a way that no one could duplicate or take away from us. When I found out about this, it was like the Goddess was answering my prayer."  
"While its true you'll be connected to Zoey in a special way, you also realize you might not be the only man in her life that will be there to protect her."  
I looked at him. "What do you mean? I thought the Warrior protected his High Priestess."  
"Yes, but a High Priestess can also have a human consort, which is typically the human she Imprints with, and a vampyre mate. I can't imagine those two, who would have a very close and personal relationship with the High Priestess would just stand by if she was in danger," he said.  
I just stared at him. What he was saying was that if I didn't tell Zoey how I felt and if I became her Warrior one day, I would have to watch as two other guys have their hands all over her? Well hell! There was just no winning here!  
Damien stood up and walked to the door. Before leaving, he said, "It's your choice, but if you need any help, I'd be willing to help." With one last friendly smile, he left.  
I groaned and looked at Duchess. She was looking at me with those big brown eyes, looking almost concerned about me. I scratched behind her ear soothingly and said, "Duch, what should I do?"  
**Reviews make me want to update faster! Just saying...  
So what do you think Stark is going to do? Is he going to stand by and let Heath and Erik woo his lady or do you think he's going to try and tell Zoey how he feels?**


	20. Nice Going Stark

**All the reviews make me so happy and motivated to write more! You guys are awesome!  
I do have some bad news though. So, I'm part if a musical at my school right now (we're doing Les Miz!) and our show opens at the end of this month. Because of that, we are going to start having rehearsals everyday and they're going to start getting longer. This means for you guys that I won't be able to update as frequently as I would like too. I'll try to do stuff on the weekends but I can't promise anything.  
Real sorry guys!**

Stark POV

The next day, I couldn't get mine and Damien's conversation out of my head. It was a constant war whenever I saw Zoey. Do I tell her? Do I not tell her? What do I do?! But then I pushed it out of my mind when I remembered my Warrior Training class stuff was supposed to start today. I expected Dragon to come and get me out of my Lit. class early like he said he would, but he never came. When the bell rang and I went to the fencing class like normal, I found out why.

A student had rejected the Change.

The kid was Elliot- the guy the Dark Daughters had used as their "refrigerator" for their rituals. Dragon was his mentor too, so he had to be there for the fledgling. While we waited for him to come to class, everyone talked in low voices about what had happened. Zoey looked a little haunted as she said, "It was awful. All the blood..." She trailed off and a small shutter went through her. I put my arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "And after they carried him off, Professor Penthesilea just carried on with class like normal. They didn't acknowledge what happened at all!" She seemed like she wanted to be angry but didn't have the energy.

I said, "Z, people reject the Change all the time. You can't expect them to cancel school for a few days every time it happens."

She looked at me harshly and I immediately wanted to take back what I said. Shaking her head, she stepped away from me and said, "You sound just like them." She walked off to where Damien was chatting with some other people.

I sighed and felt like kicking something. Great move Stark, I thought sarcastically just as Dragon walked in and class started.

When all classes were over, I caught up with everyone by the big oak. They were talking quietly and stopped when I walked up. I said, "What's up?"

Damien said, "It's Zoey."

Automatically, I tensed and went on protector mode. "What's wrong?" I said urgently.

Stevie Rae stepped forward and said, "We're worried about her. I think someone else should go with you guys tonight."

Damien said, "Aphrodite's out to get her and she needs every bit of protection she can get."

"You don't think I could take her?" I said, somewhat mocking and raising an eyebrow.

The Twins rolled their eyes and Shaunee said, "Please, just please with the typical 'macho guy' crap."

"You're girlfriend is going walking into a wasps' nest. The least you can do is be serious," Erin said.

"First of all, shes not my girlfriend. Second, I am being serious!" I said. "You don't think I can protect her?"

"And what makes you think I need protecting?"

We all turned around guiltily to see Zoey standing there, looking annoyed. Stevie Rae said without any perkiness, "Oh, hey, Z."

Zoey crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You don't think I can protect myself?" she said, mostly to me.

Damien said, "Its not that. It's just that we know what Aphrodite is capable of."

"I can't control all five elements. I'm fairly certain I can handle her," she said.

Stevie Rae said, "Z, it's been a bad day. Everyone's stressed. And Aphrodite's out to get you. It makes sense for us to stick together."

Zoey went from annoyed to pissed real quick and I recognized that change easily. She got that way whenever she was scared and upset and didn't know what to do. She said, "You guys say I have the powers that will someday make me your High Priestess? Then, you need to listen to me when I say no. I don't want you there. This is something I have to deal with."

She started walking away and I started going with her, saying, "Zoey-"

"Alone," she said without even looking at me. I stopped and watched her walk away from me for the second time today. Even after she was gone, I stared in the direction she left.

Damien put a hand on my shoulder and sighed. "Now what?" said Shaunee, sounding a little pissed herself.

I turned to look at them. "Now we don't listen to her and go anyways," I said.


End file.
